Published: August 29, 2008 08:08 pm      

D80 schools to begin internet safety training

By TESA CULLI

tesa.culli@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — A new bill designed to teach children of the dangers of the Internet will mean District 80 will have to formalize training it already gives its students.

“Most schools are already teaching students in some way, about the Internet,” District 80 Superintendent Kevin Settle said. “Computers are used more and more in every school district.”

The legislation goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2009, for the 2009-2010 school year, and requires schools to incorporate Internet safety into their curriculums to be taught at least once every school year to students in third grade or higher. The bill calls for an age-appropriate unit of instruction to be incorporated into the current course of study regularly taught in district schools. The bill co-sponsored by Senator Terry Link and Representative Tom Cross, which led to overwhelming support in both the House and Senate.

“The Internet is a wonderful tool and resource for children and adults,” Cross stated. “Unfortunately, this technology is also being utilized by adult predators seeking to gain access to unsuspecting children. While our children are being introduced to computers and the Internet in the classroom, it makes sense for our schools, as a component of computer education, to provide basic instruction on how to remain safe while using the Internet.”

Settle said children in District 80 are exposed to computers as early as kindergarten.

“One of the things we talk about is that everything is filtered,” Settle said. “We have technicians in every one of our labs. They review about getting on sites, and inappropriate contact with others. At middle school, where we see children using e-mail and MySpace, the technology technicians go into more detail about the dangers, predators and those kinds of things.”

Settle said once the school is notified of the specific requirements under the new legislation, it will be “added to our checklist we send to teachers every year, where we tell the teachers what they have to include in the curriculum.”

Settle said the Illinois State Board of Education monitors the district each year on requirements with emphasis on the newer legislation being implemented.